The Pioneers lost some key players to graduation, including last year’s Times Player of the Year Kim Tumolo, and dropped down to Group III. After a little rough patch in the middle of the season, the Pioneers went on a 9-2 run to finish the season with a trip to the S.J. Group III semis and their second-straight Times Team of the Year Award.

“Its awesome,” Pioneers head coach Megan Conklin said of taking home the award again. “The first time we had it was last year and we were so excited. I haven’t told the girls yet but they are going to be thrilled. It’s such an exciting honor. To play a team sport and to be honored as a team is amazing. It’s very exciting.”

“It’s pretty awesome because it’s my senior year,” added Pioneer attacker Megan Donnelly. “I always wanted this as a captain, I wanted to lead my team. It’s cool to lead them to this with my fellow captains.”

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After winning their first three games of the season, the Pioneers spent most of the month of April playing .500 lacrosse — splitting a stretch of eight games.

But once the calendar turned to May, they picked up the pace.

“We kind of got in a slump and caught ourselves not working together,” Donnelly said. “We had a couple of rough practices, and when we figured out what we had to do we stuck together.”

And thanks to extenuating circumstances, the girls had to stick together more than thought they would have to.

“I had a family situation at the end of April and wasn’t around for much of May,” Conklin said. “It was one of those seasons where the captains became coaches and underclassmen played liked upperclassmen and they really grew in my eyes as a team.

“I watched them mature where they took responsibility and they really stepped it up on their own. They were playing for each other and it was nice to see.”

They started their run the same way they won their South Jersey title last season, with an OT win over Washington Township.

“Everytime we play them we go to OT,” Donnelly said. “Luckily we always win and did again this year and it meant a lot.”

The Pioneers have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in South Jersey lacrosse. Success breeds more success, and if the run the Pioneers have gone on the last two seasons is any indication, they will be around for a long time to come.

“We have such an extraordinary group of girls. And more so than talented, they’re awesome leaders,” said Conklin. “We won the South Jersey final and the underclassmen felt that accomplishment and wanted that same experience for the freshmen this year. We’re just one big family. With a new team they still wanted to do the same thing that we did last and we anticipate the same for next year, too.”